System and method for generating head-related transfer function

Abstract

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising: calculating a head-related transfer function for a user, the calculation based at least in part on gathered data comprising at least video material and at least one supplemental image, the at least one supplemental image comprising an image of a transparent measurement device superimposed over at least one biological detail of an user, and transmitting said head-related transfer function.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 calculating, by a first computer program application, a head-related transfer function for a user, the calculation based at least in part on gathered data comprising at least video material and at least one supplemental image, the at least one supplemental image comprising an image of a transparent measurement device superimposed over at least one biological detail of an user, 
 transmitting said head-related transfer function. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the transmitting comprises:
 loading the head-related transfer function into at least one audio device, 
 making the audio device available to the user. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the audio device comprises headphones. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an autonomous device is used to gather the data related to the user. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first computer program application provides contextual instructions for the data gathering process. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said gathered data comprises metadata relating to the user, and wherein said metadata is received in the first computer program application separately from the video material and the at least one supplemental image. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said gathered data comprises at least one supplemental image of the user's left ear and at least one supplemental image of the user's right ear. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the head-related transfer function is calculated in the time domain by solving at least one wave equation. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the head-related transfer function is calculated in the frequency domain by solving at least one Helmholtz equation. 
     
     
       10. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the transmitting comprises packaging the head-related transfer function into a SOFA file format. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transparent measurement device is pressed against the user's ear. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core, at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus at least to:
 calculate a head-related transfer function for a user, the calculation based at least in part on gathered data comprising at least video material and at least one supplemental image, the at least one supplemental image comprising an image of a transparent measurement device superimposed over at least one biological detail of an user, and 
 transmit said head-related transfer functions. 
 
     
     
       13. An apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the transmission of the head-related transfer function comprises:
 loading the head-related transfer function into at least one audio device, 
 making the audio device available to the user. 
 
     
     
       14. An apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the head-related transfer function is calculated in the time domain by solving at least one wave equation. 
     
     
       15. An apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the head-related transfer function is calculated in the frequency domain by solving at least one Helmholtz equation. 
     
     
       16. An apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the data related to the user has been gathered using an autonomous device. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the transparent measurement device is pressed against the user's ear. 
     
     
       18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least:
 calculate a head-related transfer function for a user, the calculation based at least in part on gathered data comprising at least video material and at least one supplemental image, the at least one supplemental image comprising an image of a transparent measurement device superimposed over at least one biological detail of an user, 
 transmit said head-related transfer function.